Fire hydrant



E. E. CLINE FIRE HYDRANT June 8, 1937.

Filed May 20, 1936 Patented June 8, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FIRE HYDRANT Earl E. Cline, Decatur, Ill., assignor to Mueller 00., Decatur, 111., 2.

Application May 20,

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to fire hydrants and particularly to a joint for connecting the portions of a sectional fire hydrant stock or barrel. According to the invention the 'stock' 5 portions, which are in end to end relation, have adjacent flanges apertured to receive connecting bolts, the bolts being weakened in a manner which will be hereinafter described so that upon forceful impact, as by a vehicle, the bolts will ll) break and thus prevent undue breakage or disturbance of the parts of the stock.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood, I have shown a practical embodiment thereof, by way of example, in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a View partly in elevation and partly in axial section of a stock constructed in accordance with the present invention, and

Figure 2 is an axial section of a connection bolt. To refer to the drawing, the stock or barrel comprises upper and lower portions l0 and H which at their adjacent ends are. provided-with radially extending annular flanges l2 and I3.

At intervals the flanges are provided with registering apertures 14 and I5, and the adjacent ends of the apertures are preferably enlarged as shown at l6 and H. A gasket l8 of relatively compressible material is interposed between the flanges and has openings registering with the flange openings and of a size about that of the maximum dimension of the enlargements l5 and I1.

Bolts l9 are passed through the registering apertures. As here shown, the bolts have heads abutting the top of flange l2 and have nuts 2| threaded on their lower ends and against flange l3 so that the flanges are drawn together to compress gasket l Each bolt l9, as'here shown, is externally reduced, preferably by a circumferential groove 22 which when the. bolt is operatively positioned is substantially in a trans-axial plane between flanges l2 and I3. Each bolt, moreover, has an axial bore 23 extending from the head end of the bolt past the reduced zone of the bolt.

A valve rod is formed of aligned sections 24- and 25, these having a tongue and groove connection in the zone of the flanges and being joined by a coupling nut 26, this arrangement being in the nature of that disclosed in Patent No. 2,018,455, issued October 22, 1935, to H. M. Lofton. The valve rod forms no part of the present invention and may be of any suitable construc- B and provide a tight joint.

corporation of Illinois 1936, Serial No. 80,874

tion, but preferably for the sake of avoiding injury thereto it is of sectional construction.

The flanges l2 and 13 are positioned at such a height that accidental impacts are received by the top portion l0; Under such an impact, the bolts, being relatively weak as compared to the flanges, will be sheared or pulled apart at the grooves 22. Rod portion 24 will separate from portion 25 in the manner described in the patent above mentioned so that the entire upper structure can fall to the ground without injury to the lower structure; In case the impact has not injured the upper stock portion it may be immediately reassembled with the lower by a new set of bolts, nut 26 also being replaced.

With a predetermined operative tensioning of the bolts their point of failure will be determined by the size of grooves 22 and bores 23. Actually, grooves 22 need be of no very great depth, since their principal purpose is to localize the break. The bolt strength is conveniently determined through selection of the diameter of the bores 23. Preferably the bores extend from the head end of the bolt rather than through the other end which is already weakened to some extent by the threads.

I have found that the bolts have much superior characteristics where the bore is used in conjunction with the groove than where an attempt is made-to use a deeper groove alone. Accordingly, an important feature of the present invention is the control of the bolt characteristics by the provision of a bore of selected size.

Assuming a direct radial impact to be received by flange 12, the enlargements l6 and I1 permit a bending as well as a shearing action to take place with a superior effect to that obtain able by a purely shearing action. As the result of impacts higher up on portion In of the stock, this portion is tilted relative to the lower portion so that the bolts are subjected to a largely tensioning action and are pulled apart at the groove, bending being permitted as before.

It will be understood that changes in detail may be made from the illustrative disclosure herein and accordingly I do not limit myself except as in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A fire hydrant stock comprising tubular portions disposed in end to end relation, the adjacent ends of said portions having peripheral flanges with registering apertures, and connecting means for said portions comprising bolts in said apertures, each of said bolts being externally reduced in a transaxial plane between the flanges and each having an axial bore which extends through the zone of the groove, said apertures closely surrounding the end portions of the bolts but being enlarged adjacent the re- 5 duced portions of the bolts.

2. A fire--.hydrant stock comprising tubular portions disposed in end to end relation, the adjacent ends of said portions having peripheral flanges with registering apertures, and connecting means for said portions comprising bolts in said apertures, each of said bolts having a peripheral groove in a transaxial plane between the flanges and each having an axial bore which extends through the zone of the groove, said apertures closely surrounding the end portions of the bolts but being enlarged adjacent the reduced portions of the bolts.

' EARL E. CLINE. 

